Jordan 'cool to Syria rebel training plan'

Kingdom reluctant to host expanded program proposed by Obama for fear of retaliation

Published: 07/12/2014 at 6:20 PM

(Al-Jazeera) Jordan, where the US Central Intelligence Agency has been covertly training Syrian rebels for more than a year, is reluctant to host an expanded rebel instruction programme, US officials say.

Jordan’s reticence, confirmed by four US officials, is a potentially serious setback for President Barack Obama’s proposed $500m initiative, announced in June, to train and arm moderate rebels fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and al-Qaeda-linked groups.

It could signal a larger challenge in finding suitable nations willing to host the US-led training at a time of heightened tensions across much of the Middle East.